Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

CiteULike is a free service for managing and discovering scholarly references - click here to get started.

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Social Science Computer Review
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (5)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Couper, M. P.
Right arrow Articles by Singer, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Visual Analog Scales

A Web Experiment

Mick P. Couper

Roger Tourangeau

Frederick G. Conrad

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; University of Maryland, College Park

Eleanor Singer

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

The use of visual analog scales (VAS) in survey research has been relatively rare, in part because of operational difficulties. However web surveys permit the use of continuous input devices such as slider bars, making VAS more feasible. The authors conducted an experiment to explore the utility of a VAS in a web survey, comparing it to radio button input and numeric entry in a text box on a series of bipolar questions eliciting views on genetic versus environmental causes of various behaviors. The experiment included a variety of additional comparisons including the presence or absence of numeric feedback in theVAS, the use of a midpoint or no midpoint for the other two versions, and numbered versus unnumbered radio button scales. The response distributions for theVAS did not differ from those using the other scale types, and theVAS had higher rates of missing data and longer completion times.

Key Words: visual analog scale • web survey • attitude

Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 24, No. 2, 227-245 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0894439305281503
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Public Opin QHome page
A. Peytchev
Survey Breakoff
Public Opin Q, April 2, 2009; (2009) nfp014v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Sociological Methods ResearchHome page
L. M. Christian, N. L. Parsons, and D. A. Dillman
Designing Scalar Questions for Web Surveys
Sociological Methods Research, February 1, 2009; 37(3): 393 - 425.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav Res MethodsHome page
U.-D. REIPS and F. FUNKE
Interval-level measurement with visual analogue scales in Internet-based research: VAS Generator
Behav Res Methods, August 1, 2008; 40(3): 699 - 704.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Int J Public Opin ResHome page
E. Singer, T. C. Antonucci, M. Burmeister, M. P. Couper, T. E. Raghunathan, and J. Van Hoewyk
Beliefs about Genes and Environment as Determinants of Behavioral Characteristics
Int. J. Public Opin. Res., September 1, 2007; 19(3): 331 - 353.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]